


New Year's Special Edition

by Red Charade (traciller)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Barry just went through a break-up, Barry's sad, Bisexual Barry Allen, Captain Cold steals a kiss, F/M, Len is sneaky, Len makes it better, M/M, New Year's Kiss, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Slash, Some angst, well he IS a thief
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-01-01
Updated: 2016-01-01
Packaged: 2018-05-10 19:00:48
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,130
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5597149
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/traciller/pseuds/Red%20Charade
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Barry just broke up with his girlfriend and he's feeling really down as he watches everyone excitedly countdown to the new year, when someone surprises him with a sudden New Year's kiss.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Year's Special Edition

Barry almost didn't go to the New Year's Eve party in the square. The town was big enough that they had one every year and it was a pretty big deal. Nearly everyone went and, like with so many others around the country and the world on this day, it culminated in a countdown to midnight and then a fireworks display to bring in the new year.

It was popular with families, so most of it was family friendly (although you could find a few attractions that maybe pushed it a bit if you looked) but Central City wasn't, say, New York City. So, even though it wasn't a small town, they tended to keep things as family friendly as possible, at least in the main gathering areas.

They had some fair foods going on, stands that sold hot dogs and corn dogs, funnel cakes, cotton candy, and then some other things that were specific to the celebration for the new year.

It was popular with groups of friends who went together to have fun, have some fair food they usually didn't get this time of year. Teenagers ran around like little kids, and young adults pretended to be too mature for that.

Couples made a big deal out of it, too, especially the closer to midnight it got and the traditional New Year's kiss.

There would be reporters there with cameramen and photographers who would snap pictures throughout the festivities and write pieces on it the next day for all of the news stations and they'd usually pan around a video camera so that the coverage showed all of the happy couples kissing. There was always one lucky couple who would end up being the picture for the front page of the most major newspaper outlet in the city, as well, and many couples were hoping it would be them.

Barry loved this celebration. Adored it. He always had fun. Sure, the kiss thing was kind of a let-down since he usually wasn't dating anyone around this time of year (not on purpose, it usually just didn't work out that way) but he was usually happy for the people who did have a partner for it. Or the friends who agreed to share a chaste kiss.

Once or twice in his life, Barry had considered asking Iris to do that with him, but he'd always abandoned the thought as sneaky and unfair. As wrong. It offended his moral compass, because he knew that Iris would seriously just be kissing a friend while he was using it as an excuse to kiss his crush. And he knew that while she might agree to a chaste kiss between her and her best friend Barry Allen, knowing that Barry had a crush on her would've had her saying no. And if she learned later on, she probably would've been hurt. It was a selfish thing to do and left a sour taste in his mouth to think of. So, while he'd wished he was a worse person who would have used the opportunity, he just...wasn't. He couldn't do that to her, even if she didn't know. He would know.

This year, though, he had been dating Patty. At least, he had been...until yesterday when she broke things off with him. It was his own fault, he knew that. He hadn't trusted her with his secret and so a lot of his actions had seemed strange to her, selfish and in some instances probably even callous. Like breaking dates with little to no warning and then making up blatantly false excuses for why. Sure, when she gave him ultimatums about how he really better not break the next one, he made an extra effort and ended up making those dates, but while at first that had made her hopeful it eventually just upset her more. She had to bully her boyfriend into showing up to dates they'd scheduled sometimes well in advance?

It had made her feel confused and hurt and taken for granted. And when she'd asked for explanations, she knew he was feeding her a load of bullshit. She wasn't stupid, and she was a trained police officer. She knew bullshit when it was spoon fed in her direction. And it had hurt her so much that it was her boyfriend, who for all intents and purposes was usually so sweet, who was doing it.

This time, Barry had broken another date at the last second and she'd just had enough. She'd been angry, but also sad, and Barry felt horrible for hurting her. He didn't blame her for breaking up with him. If things had been turned around and it were him on the receiving end of this...well he might have lasted longer but he would've probably ended it eventually, as well.

And though she'd been firm in letting him know that his behavior was unfair to her and inconsiderate, and in some cases even rude and insulting of her intelligence, she did make it clear that she didn't hate him and hoped that they could still have a good professional relationship and that eventually they could be friends. But, right now she didn't want that last part. She needed time before that, because she was still upset.

He respected that and didn't blame her (just himself, because it really was his fault and nobody else's), thought she'd been reasonable and way nicer than a lot of people probably would've been (but that was Patty, she was a sweetheart) and somehow that kind of made him feel even worse.

So while everyone else was happy and smiling and counting down with the large digital clock in the square (and thankfully no super villains seemed to have planned anything for the big moment, preferring to do all of their dastardly deeds earlier so the Flash had already dealt with their shenanigans, and the Tricksters were both in prison tonight) set up just for this purpose, Barry couldn't help but stay silent.

Staring at the clock and not really seeing it as he thought back to his confrontation with Patty yesterday that led to the break-up. He was vaguely aware of couples turning toward each other in his periphery, getting ready to lock lips in mere seconds.

Barry himself was glad that everyone was focused on something or someone else, because he felt his eyes sting. He had liked Patty, although he couldn't say he'd been in love with her, not the way he had once been in love with Iris, but she was a good person and he felt horrible for hurting her. What had he been thinking, agreeing to date her in the first place? He should have let her down easy, because he knew...knew right from the start that he'd end up hurting her in JUST exactly this way.

It was then that he'd felt it, a touch to his shoulder. He'd come here with friends, but he the had was too broad to be a woman's and didn't feel like Cisco's (and Joe was on duty tonight, Harry back at STAR Labs). Strong, long fingers applied gentle pressure and just as Barry turned around, and before he was able to really get a look at whoever it was that had touched him, he felt lips on his and heard the crowd (those who weren't kissing anyone, obviously) screaming in happy celebration of the clock hitting midnight, fireworks going off in the sky and the booms reverberating in his chest.

He couldn't help giving a surprised sound at the initial shock, hands moving to his impromptu partner's broad shoulders as the man (it was definitely a man) licked into Barry's mouth, eliciting a surprised moan from him.

He should push this guy away, it wasn't okay to just grab random strangers on the street and kiss them, that was assault! Even if it was New Year's! That was no excuse.

But, Barry didn't feel assaulted and he liked the kiss. His mood was such right now that he thought he might even be able to take some comfort in it.

Barry decided to go with it, pressing closer and sliding his arms around the man's shoulders properly, returning the kiss in earnest and even deepening it.

He felt the man's hands slide down, one stopping at the small of his back and gripping Barry's jacket there while the other hand stopped at Barry's hip. The feeling of being pulled closer was nice and he went with it, his own hands gripping the fabric of the man's coat where it spread over those broad shoulders that Barry decided he liked very much right now.

After a moment, they slowly parted for air, panting softly and Barry opened his eyes...and nearly swallowed his own tongue at who he saw. That was no stranger at all! Those ice-blue eyes staring back at him belonged to--

“C-Cold?!” Barry yelped, though the man wasn't in his signature outfit right now. He was in a black trench coat and gloves, and he seemed to be wearing jeans.

“No. Tonight I'm just Len, Barry,” he answered with a grin.

“Why did you kiss me!?” Barry yelped, indignant.

“Why did you kiss me back?” Len raised an amused eyebrow.

“I-I...well...I didn't know it was you!” Barry stuttered, blushing a little.

“Do you always make a habit of kissing strangers?” And there was that insufferable smirk that was usually annoying but tonight Barry found kind of sexy.

“Th-that! Of-of course not! It's just...tonight...well...it's...” Barry felt himself getting redder by the second.

Len chuckled, “Calm down, Red. You looked like you could use a little comfort, so I thought why not? Was I wrong?”

“….No.” Barry had thought about telling Len (why was it so easy to switch to Len just on his say-so?) that he was absolutely wrong, but decided against the lie. He remembered thinking he might cry a moment before he felt the hand on his shoulder. That had probably been noticeable to anyone actually looking at him.

“Good. Wanna do it again?” Len asked, smirk back in place.

“...Hell yes.” Barry decided for one night he would just let himself have something nice. And even if it was Leonard Snart, Captain Cold, his nemesis, a truce seemed to have been declared or at least offered and Barry would just allow himself to have something nice right now. And, as it turned out, Len was a really good kisser.

Len leaned forward and took Barry's lips again, and this time Barry kissed back from the start. The kiss was searing as their lips molded together and their tongues greeted each other again, one of Barry's hands going to the back of Len's neck while his other arm wrapped around Len's back and that hand rested on Len's shoulder blade.

The way the other man's arms felt around him, hands finding firm purchase, one bold at Barry's ass and squeezing, the other at Barry's waist, was just...exactly what he wanted right now, completely what he needed and he pressed himself tight against Len and neither pulled back until they both were in dire need of air, panting and gazing at each other with heated looks, pupils a bit dilated.

 

The next morning, Barry came downstairs for breakfast, still sleeping and rubbing at his eyes a bit like he used to when he was a kid. He'd slept so well, though! It was a shame to have to get up. He could smell pancakes, though, and coffee. How could he pass up pancakes and coffee??

“Hey, Joe. Iris. Any pancakes left?” Barry asked as he entered the kitchen and went to the fridge to get some juice and then over to the coffee pot for some glorious caffeine when he noticed that nobody was answering him.

Blinking, Barry turned around to face his foster family with a furrowed brow and paying closer attention now.

“What…?” he asked, noticing the strange look Joe was giving him. Why did Iris look like she was trying not to giggle?

“I was hoping you'd tell us. Care to explain this, Barry?” Joe asked, looking stern and not the slightest bit amused as he held up that morning's newspaper, with a very large color picture with great resolution of...Barry and Len kissing in the square last night.

Barry's jaw went slack and he did a rather good impression of a fish, unable to find his voice for his usual stuttering.

Just as Iris lost control of her laughter, the sound of Barry's coffee mug hitting the ground and shattering was heard.

It was a shame, too. That was his favorite mug (since Len stole the other one just before Christmas).

 

End


End file.
